A woman who was held captive in a basement dungeon spoke of her horrific ordeal as a prosecutor involved in the case said the scene ‘was the worst thing you will see’.
Tamara Breeden, 36, was one of several people with a developmental disability who was held captive in squalid conditions in what became known as the ‘Philadelphia House of Horrors’.
Linda Ann Weston, the ringleader and mastermind, was sentenced to life in prison plus 80 years in 2015 after Tamara and three others were found in a basement in the Tacony area of the city in 2011.
Tamara Breeden (left) along with other people with developmental disability, was held captive for ten years in the basement of a Tacony home by Linda Ann Weston (right)
The dank sub-basement room in Philadelphia where four weak and malnourished mentally disabled adults, one chained to the boiler, were found in October 2011
Federal prosecutor Richard Barrett, who was involved in the case, recalled that the basement 'was the worst thing you will ever see' such were the horrendous conditions inside.
Weston and three co-conspirators were charged with stealing the identities of mentally disabled people and using their social security benefits for their own gains.
At the time investigators said they believed there were more victims but there was no record of them being held there.
In 2001, Linda Weston kidnapped Tamara Breeden, then 20, saying she was taking her to babysit.
Instead Weston dragged Breeden to a basement and chained her to a boiler.
She told NBC10: ‘She hit me with a metal bat. I had to block my face, so she couldn't get to my face.
'I see my scars every time, but I say to God, I am still beautiful and I am still alive,' Breeden said.
‘I kept praying to Jesus and praying to God that I could get back home to my family. I thought I was going to die there.'
Breeden, who has the mental capacity of a 10-year-old, would be joined by other mentally impaired adults and their disability checks were stolen by Weston.
She now focuses on her art and three children, two of whom were born in captivity.
Her youngest child, Ava Olivia, lives with Breeden and Breeden's parents in Kensington. 'She means everything to me. My heart, my soul, and my love.
Tamara Breeden shows the scars she sustained after beatings by Linda Weston
Her face and body still bear the scars left by Linda Weston after several beatings by her
Tamara Breeden, pictured with one of her daughters, (above) now lives for her children
'I feel nice and happy', she explained.
Federal prosecutors Richard Barrett and Faithe Taylor, who were both involved in the case, argued that the heinous deeds constituted hate crimes because Weston and her partners targeted people with disabilities who could not care for themselves.
Faithe Taylor told NBC10: 'If you were a man, she would be your girlfriend. If you needed a mother, she would be your mother.'
Over the course of a decade, Weston moved her victims from a trailer in Texas to an attic in Virginia before eventually landing in Northeast Philadelphia.
Prosecutors Richard Barrett (left) and Faithe Taylor (right) said it was the worst case they ever encountered and described the scene as 'the worst thing you could ever see'
Gregory Thomas, 47, (left) and Eddie Wright, 49, (right) were also accused of stealing the victims' Social Security checks
Prosecutors counted at least a dozen victims throughout that time, including some who died in captivity. Others like Breedon gave birth in captivity as well.
‘Some of the victims recount children they had that there is no record of,' Taylor said. They recount other victims we could not trace.'
Authorities said Weston forced two female victims into prostitution to earn more money for the family when they lived in Texas and Florida.
Two other women died while living with Weston, leading to murder charges that made her eligible for the death penalty.
The sub-basement room in Philadelphia where four weak and malnourished mentally disabled adults were found being held against their will
Victims were forced to lie on plastic mattresses and had little food in the House of Horros
A police officer walks down the steps leading to the basement where the captives were held
Authorities said Maxine Lee, a disabled Philadelphia woman, died of meningitis and starvation while living with Weston in Virginia in 2008.
Another woman identified in court papers as DS died in Philadelphia in 2005 after prosecutors said Weston fed her drug-laced food while keeping her captive in a laundry room. Weston allegedly staged the death to look like an overdose.
When the charges were filed, Weston had already served time for the starvation death of a man she locked in her Philadelphia apartment nearly three decades ago.
In September, Weston pleaded guilty to 196 criminal counts, including kidnapping, racketeering conspiracy and murder in aid of racketeering, hate crimes, sex trafficking and fraud in exchange for prosecutors agreement not to pursue a death sentence.
They instead recommended her current sentence.
Weston has been in custody since October 2011, when a landlord found the four bedraggled adults locked in a squalid boiler room of a home in the Tacony section of northeast Philadelphia and called police. One man was found chained to a boiler.
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/11/15/woman-held-captive-for-ten-years-in-the-basement-of-a-house-in-philadelphia-speaks-of-ordeal/
Main photo article A woman who was held captive in a basement dungeon spoke of her horrific ordeal as a prosecutor involved in the case said the scene ‘was the worst thing you will see’.
Tamara Breeden, 36, was one of several people with a developmental disability who was held captive in squalid conditions in what ...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/11/14/23/6197982-6391065-image-m-14_1542239725567.jpg
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